


Roughshod

by orphan_account



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Borderline Sexual Harrassment, M/M, Season 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15744780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Somehow, the view finder of Negan's camcorder keeps finding Rick over and over again.





	Roughshod

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hatterized](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hatterized/gifts).



> Based on Hatterized's prompt.  
> I apologize for this taking so long. Also, it turned into something I did not intend. So - sorry about that as well. It's so short that I promise I am eventually going to write the one I intended - the kinda sexy, fluffy one instead of this angsty pos.

 

 

 

Negan knows exactly what kind of man Rick is. The kind that folds sharply under pressure like cheap cardboard. It isn't his fault really, everyone folds under Negan.

So it's with some surprise that _ever_ since meeting the man Negan's interest remains piqued.

It's like every new detail he learns just adds fuel to the fire.

The film is an especially nice touch.

"That's not you anymore." Negan croons at Rick, watches the shuttering humiliation roiling through him.

And thinks to himself - you know, I could do this again.

 

 

 

He regrets not hitting record the first time but he'd needed to see what was on the tape.

Rick - so wholesome (and here Negan has to laugh, because Rick is far from being whole now and he did that) and earnest. He's a touch arrogant, untouchable. Nothing at all like he is with Negan. Negan almost wonders if it isn't a front, a subterfuge to make Rick look like he has shit handled.

Almost everything is a front so Negan guesses it's not impossible.

He returns to Alexandria on the next pick up because he wants to see Rick. Wants to push him around a little, skeeve him out maybe, and definitely display his dominance.

He brings the camera because he wants footage of the dog he's brought to heel.

 

 

 

The gravel is crunchy as they walk through the streets. Everyone avoids him and Rick, but especially the Alexandrians.

When Negan pulls the camera out of his pocket he sees Rick freeze.

"You don't mind do you? Just getting the lay of the land." Negan grins cheekily.

Rick bites his tongue until he finds himself level with the viewfinder.

"I'm not part of the land." Rick says blandly, carefully neutral and without inflection.

"No, you're the lay." Negan says back, overly cheerful.

The flush starts at the man's neck, then slowly rises until Rick's cheeks are pinked. His expression, he struggles to keep under control.

Luckily, Negan had had the presence of mind to begin rolling the moment he took the camcorder out of his pocket.

"We better keep moving." Rick finally says, before he turns away.

When Negan checks the footage later he finds that Rick's expression - though deft - gives away a lot more than Rick had probably been willing to part with.

 

 

 

The next time, Rick's not even surprised when he whips it out.

He doesn't comment on it though, even though he warms slightly - no doubt remembering the time before. Negan manages to catch the action.

"You look a little roughed up Rick." Negan says, because he does.

"I was on a run." Rick bites out.

"I bet you're on a lot of runs these days." Negan goads, although he thinks he knows better. It's probably the same amount as before. If anything he's only forcing them to reach their full potential.

Rick shakes his head at him, disbelieving.

Later Negan watches that moment over and over again. Rick highlighted by the sun, shaking his curls in obvious distress and _why did you do this to me_.

Negan would much rather watch pink cheeked Rick smother his embarrassment. His blue eyes a sharp contrast. He's pretty, Negan notices.

Vulnerable, which would be sexy if it wasn't because Negan cracked him open.

 

 

 

Negan doesn't bring the camcorder the time after.

He makes a list - stingily - of the things he's missed;

Rick looking over in surprise to see Carl, half smile quickly hidden in Negan's presence.

Rick's lips pinching in dismay, eyes sharp at first but widening in submission when Negan points out the way he's looking at him.

The smallest tremble of Rick's hand as it comes up to cover his mouth.

 

 

 

Negan tucks the camcorder into his pocket before he goes the next time.

He films straight from the gate.

Rick's stance is tense, more so than usual.

"Looks like you need a good rub down." Negan says, off hand, not even bothering to keep his voice low. "You're as tense as a bow."

Rick swallows.

It's kind of difficult to keep Rick centered in the viewfinder and talk with the man at the same time so, reluctantly, Negan puts the video on pause.

Rick is calling himself to attention, steeling himself.

"What do you need from me Rick?" Negan cuts to the chase, jokes, "You need that rub down?"

"What I need from you is medicine, more food -"

"Mercy."

And just like that Negan brings the camcorder up to focus and presses play. Rick's eyebrows dip, his eyes get wider before looking to the ground for support, no doubt.

"Yes." Rick confirms.

"ain't that sweet? The rogue who killed my men cold blooded in their beds, leaving behind their children and wives, standing before me begging for mercy."

Negan actually isn't mad about Rick killing them. It's natural, it's what people do - pretty much all of them. The offense is personal, because how dare someone - anyone - make a move against _him_.

It's fucked up, but even that is a shitty hallmark of humanity.

"How sweetly can you beg?" Negan asks.

Rick's back is straight, and the shiver that shakes through him loud.

The takeaway is that Negan gets footage of Rick on his knees, pleading, swallowing his hate, fingers splayed near the toe of Negan's boot.

It isn't like that first time. Not as frantic. Still, the brokenness is there.

Negan has an unexpected reaction to that. Pressure building behind his eyes, throat thickening.

Negan gives them the damn medicine and food.

 

 

 

Everything forever is going to be Negan in charge, until one day he gets ripped apart by walkers.

He expects his people will live on though, and that future generations will not remember him fondly.

Or they'll all die by walkers.

He believes the first though, or he probably couldn't continue.

A partnership was never in the works.

 

 

 

Rick looks better next time he sees him. Stronger. Which just assuages Negan that he's made the right choice. Rick can recover from a break, heal into something bent in Negan's favor.

Making him a Savior would have been a perpetual sort of break that maybe destroyed the man. Because the Saviors need to believe in their cause, need to fall in line with Negan's vision.

Negan's recently had the realization that Rick has a vision of his own. Beyond not dying tomorrow. Most survivors hold onto the vague notion that maybe one days things will return to what they were. It's deluded, they don't think of how they can get there or realize it'll never happen in their lifetime.

Rick's different. He thinks something else.

"Aren't you a fucking sight for sore eyes." Negan cajoles.

"Negan." Rick greets, a little more relaxed than last time but also - hesitant, gearing up to say something - maybe a thank you?

"I want to take you out Rick." Negan says, "Have a head to head. You got a working car around here somewhere right?"

Negan drinks in his fill of Rick. He doesn't have the camcorder on him today, and he probably won't in the future.

Rick gets things in order and pulls up in an old beat up car from the 80s. He seems surprised when Negan jumps in the passenger side.

It's silent as they leave.

It's maybe twenty minutes down the road before Rick speaks.

"You didn't bring the camcorder today."

"Well, I didn't want to be distracted today, didn't want to miss a thing." Negan sneers, he really doesn't want Rick to ask again so he lays it on thick, "Why? You have a performance planned for it?"

It's sick, what Negan's captured on the tape, once he separates it from his lust. It's a pale, rattled, broken man who is grieving for his friends. A man being pressed by his tormentor.

Rick deserves it, Negan knows. He's a harbinger of mindless violence as much as any of them. Negan can almost bring himself to believe it.

In all their time together though Negan's never asked why. He's only ever followed his instinctive need to punish for the transgression.

Ricks pulls over on the deserted road.

"Why did you kill my men Rick?" Negan asks, wonders if maybe it'll tell him more of Rick's vision for the future.

"Can't you just - " Rick begins, a little harried, looks him in the eye and holds his gaze. "I'd rather not talk."

Rick does a strange thing then. He starts unbuttoning his shirt.

Negan snorts.

"You didn't think this was a booty call did you?" He asks. "I mean, don't worry. I'll still fuck you but we have things to discuss first."

It says something that Negan - and already his blood is running hotter, is excited at the fact - wants to talk to Rick beforehand. It's something almost like yearning. Like he needs to know.

"Why'd you kill my men?" Negan reiterates.

The effect the word's have on Rick are like a punch to the gut. He suddenly looks like he's about to cry, but he's too stubborn.

"Don't make me talk about them before we...." He says softly, a little desperate. "Not them."

"You mean your boys?" Negan clarifies.

Rick trembles and his hand comes up to cover his exposed throat as he sinks back in his seat.

"Glenn never killed anyone before." Rick says thickly, resigned, "Abraham was only trying to do the right thing."

"Right, by killing my men in their sleep." Negan drawls.

Thinks about the incongruity of a man who has never killed a person before. But he had eventually. It must have been an important reason, although Negan doesn't see it. Thinks the only way that Glenn got away from killing is because he had someone to do it for him. Someone like Rick, always taking a hit for others.

He thinks about his own wall of Polaroids and how in this own instance his own method of protection fell flat.

"We were starving." Rick admits, shame of failure threading through his tone.

"Didn't look like it." Negan counters.

"When we found Alexandria it was a little better but -"

"That's why they hate you." Negan cuts in with abrupt realization. Rick isn't Alexandrian. He's a recent addition. It speaks even more to his leadership skills that he's been able to keep his seat.

" -and we heard about you. What you'd done. Dealt with people like you before. So many people." Rick says, staring at the steering wheel.

Negan doesn't defend himself. Because people are all the same. They are all vicious when put in a corner.

"That night, that was your people, not Alexandrians?" Negan asks.

Rick nods shortly, like it hurts too much to think about for more than a short while.

It explains a little more.

"And just what was your plan, beyond survival?" Negan asks.

Rick doesn't want to answer, that much is obvious. He pulls the answer out, aware of every second he's making Negan wait.

"Make a safe home for Carl. Rebuild what we can, preserve what we can. Slowly build the infrastructure so that just maybe it'd be able to continue when we're gone. I don't know. What does anyone plan? What's your plan?"

"Survival." Negan answers. "I'm making sure everyone survives by squeezing the weakness out of them. Giving them a dogma to follow. It may not feel like it, but I want everyone to survive."

Rick looks a little taken aback at the declaration. Negan feels the weakness of his admission.

"We want the same thing Rick." Negan impresses, voice heavy.

"I-I'm not cruel - like you." Rick immediately says, eyes searching Negan's face.

"No, you're ruthless."

Rick's face closes at the admission, expression dampening.

Negan reaches out without thinking. Rick flinches back but settles when Negan's hand squeezes his shoulder.

"We all are Rick." Negan comforts in the best way he knows how.

"I-this isn't what I thought it was going to be." Rick says quietly.

"What did you think?" Negan asks. He's surprised at himself too and Rick's expectations are probably more realistic than what has actually taken place.

"I thought you'd just - that we'd just - you know - and that'd be it. Not that we'd talk. And I just thought, what's one more thing? You've taken so much already. But I can see now that - that wasn't the reason we came out here."

Negan can only freeze.

It had been deliberate, to make Rick fear being alone with him. Even to imply skeezily that he gets everything he wants, both sexually and otherwise. It isn't a surprise Rick thinks that. If anything it's more of a surprise that he doesn't genuinely want it - fucked up or not - like Negan's other conquests.

"Rick, I'd like us to understand each other more." Negan says, because Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

 

 

He brings the camcorder next time. The context of Rick's blush changes. 

"I recorded something for you." Negan says lowly, like it's dirty. "Was hoping you'd record something for me in exchange?"

Rick tucks it into his pocket.

"I'll see what I can do." He answers, and it's something different.

Not hate, not obedience. It's said straightly, and if Negan tries hard enough he can imagine a twist of teasing in it.

"Great," Negan says, holds himself back from saying something outrageously sexual.

Rick sees it on his face though and colors anyway, awkwardly stumbling through his next words,

"I-I'll have something for you next week."

It's different - _better_ \- than the hurt and long suffering expressions that came before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
